Well, the hotel that went up in 6 days might seem like a great technological and business achievement now, but if it somedays collapses in an earthquake or goes up in flames like the hotel in Shanghai did a few days ago, then maybe that accomplishment won’t seem so great, will it?

“Although China has been undergoing a construction boom for many years, building safety has remained controversial.

“Last year, firefighters could do little to stop a massive blaze in a nearly completed Beijing skyscraper housed in the same complex as China’s state television headquarters. The building, slated to be a luxury hotel, burned after being set alight by an illegal fireworks show.

“Critics also point to substandard construction practices as a major source of safety problems.

“They cite the collapse of thousands of buildings, including many shoddily built schools, during the deadly 2008 Sichuan earthquake as a prime example of the poor construction common to much of China.

“The following year, a nearly completed 13-story apartment tower in Shanghai toppled, killing one worker in a high-profile incident that attracted stunned onlookers for days because the building remained largely intact on its side.

“Chinese have come to call buildings constructed poorly for the sake of cutting costs “tofu dregs,” a reference to the mushy curds left behind in the tofu-making process.”